74-year-old veteran filmmaker David Dhawan has been stressing that he plans to retire, with his upcoming film Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, starring his son Varun Dhawan, set to be his final directorial venture. Actor Anupam Kher has now told news agency ANI that he disagreed with the filmmaker’s decision, saying there is no fixed age for retirement in the film industry.
What Anupam shared
Speaking to ANI, Anupam Kher revealed that he called David Dhawan shortly after the filmmaker announced his retirement and even scolded him over the decision. “David Dhawan is my best friend. I go to his house whenever I can. When I learnt about his retirement decision, I called him and scolded him. Maine daanta use (I scolded him). I said, ‘What do you mean, this is your last film? Who are you to decide, this is your last film? If the audience loves you, don’t say, this is my last film.’ My father used to tell me that retirement is merely a state of mind. As long as you can stand on your own feet and keep doing what you love, there’s no reason to retire. Unfortunately, he later fell ill, but that belief has stayed with me. We are fortunate to be in a profession where there is no fixed age for retirement,” he said.
David is returning to direction after a hiatus of six years with Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. The film marks Varun and David’s fourth collaboration. Apart from Varun, the film also stars Mrunal Thakur and Pooja Hegde in lead roles, along with Mouni Roy, Rakesh Bedi, Rajesh Kumar, Maniesh Paul and others in key roles. The film is produced by Ramesh Taurani under the banner of Tips Films and co-produced by Gaurav Bose of Maximilian Films. The film is scheduled to hit theatres on June 5.
About David Dhawan
David Dhawan is regarded as one of Bollywood’s most successful directors in the comedy genre. In fact, he is often hailed as the “King of Comedy.” In his journey of over 43 years, a slew of successful actors have worked with him, including Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Govinda, Akshay Kumar, Taapsee Pannu, Karisma Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit and many more. His films have also created some of the best on-screen duos such as Amitabh Bachchan-Govinda from Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Sanjay Dutt-Govinda from Haseena Maan Jaayegi and Akshay Kumar-Salman Khan from Mujhse Shaadi Karogi.
Over the years, many of his comedy films have attained cult status. He is known for making films such as Raja Babu, Coolie No 1, Mr and Mrs Khiladi, Hero No 1, Haseena Maan Jayegi, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya and Partner.